


Uneasy Lies the Head

by Jougetsu



Category: Juuni Kokki | Twelve Kingdoms
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Canon Typical Themes, Flower Crowns, Kirin!Gyousou, M/M, Multi, Ruler!Taiki, Self-Indulgent, Takasato Family is Their Own Warning, Worldbuilding Used to Justify Riding a Unicorn Lady Godiva Style
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-22 14:42:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13169088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jougetsu/pseuds/Jougetsu
Summary: In the books and songs the tradition was stately and thrilling. The heir apparent would enter the Forest of the Kirin to be judged as worthy of taking the crown. If successful a kirin of the herd would become the new monarch’s most trusted adviser - a co-ruler as bolder scholars termed it - and they would ride into the capital for the coronation.The unsuccessful heir apparent would leave the forest alone and had one more chance to try their luck the following Midsummer’s Eve. After that they would lose all claim to the throne if they were not chosen for a second time.***Gyousou/Taiki role reversal AU featuring Kirin!Gyousou and Ruler!Taiki in a 12K/Robin McKinley’s Pegasus fusion world (you do not have to be familiar with Pegasus to read this).





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [canis_m](https://archiveofourown.org/users/canis_m/gifts).



> Dedicated to Canis_M for many years of wonderful fandom friendship! Thank you for inspiring this story and being its biggest cheerleader! <3

Kaname was lost. 

Which was the point of the rite, but that did not mean he relished it. 

He did respect his kingdom’s commitment to traditions and honoring their heritage. But it when one had been raised believing oneself to be a commoner and then suddenly thrust into the duties of royalty suffice to say it made the traditions overwhelming and laden with ways to do them wrong. 

It’s not that he was sorry to be the late Queen’s chosen heir. She had been so very kind to him and treated him as her own son, something his own parents had never done. Having found Kaname and raising him to rule had allowed the Queen to go to her eternal rest without regret. Had he refused the throne the kingdom would have likely started unraveling from rival factions or so the Queen’s kirin Youran had said. 

In the books and songs the tradition was stately and thrilling. The heir apparent would enter the Forest of the Kirin to be judged as worthy of taking the crown. If successful a kirin of the herd would become the new monarch’s most trusted adviser - a co-ruler as bolder scholars termed it - and they would ride into the capital for the coronation. 

The unsuccessful heir apparent would leave the forest alone and had one more chance to try their luck the following Midsummer’s Eve. After that they would lose all claim to the throne if they were not chosen for a second time. 

Kaname had long fretted about his own unworthiness. Seven other candidates had been turned away before the Queen had taken him in. And he had been so young when he moved to the palace that he could not have undertaken the ritual. The Queen’s Council had advised she name other prospective candidates before her death in case Kaname failed as well. 

But Youran shook her head saying that Kaname was the one and the Queen trusted her judgment so nothing was to be done about it until Kaname failed. 

Of course he would fail. Because he was only a distant cousin to the Queen and he was not half so clever or good as the failed candidates had been. At seventeen he was bookish and enjoyed painting. He had no natural knack for etiquette and court manners. His tutors despaired his distaste for martial strategy.

“I do not think I can be a good king,” he blinked back tears the day Youran left. 

“No one can be a good king alone,” Youran told him. “That is why you will have one of my kin to guide you. And there is General Risai and your other friends.” 

She could not stay to guide him herself. After their ruler died a kirin either returned to the forest or took their own life. The late Queen made Youran promise she would live. Kaname was not sure Youran wanted to keep that promise. 

Both Kaname and Youran were honor-bound and so they fulfilled their promises. Youran returned to the forest after the Queen’s burial. Kaname entered the forest a year later. 

Only the ritual was a trifle more intense than it had seemed on paper. He had drunk deep of the draught at sunset at the edge of the forest. He had stripped bare, not a single scrap of clothing or jewelry upon him, and walked under the worn stone arch. 

Whether it was the potion or the magic of the forest itself Kaname could not say. Despite the full moon hardly any light penetrated the canopy and he could not make out what the shadows belonged to. Dimly he recalled that there might have been words to call out the herd to him, but they were lost in a haze that swiftly blanketed his mind. 

Where was he to go? If there was a path it lay unseen. Twigs and underbrush scratched red lines into his feet and legs. Was that a brook or a river burbling somewhere near? 

Then came the sound of hooves. At first Kaname mistook it the dull roar for thunder. 

He would have followed the sound if he could. There came a tug behind his navel that demanded Kaname move towards it, towards them, but the disorientation left him stumbling around until quite suddenly he was in a clearing surrounded by kirin. They might have been illuminated by moonlight, but Kaname couldn’t shake the notion that they were glowing of their own accord. If nothing else their eyes were brighter than they ought to have been. 

In vain Kaname wracked his memory for what to say to them. Surely there had been a formal greeting if only he could remember it. There must be! The kirin and the royal family had made a pact centuries ago when the humans came to this land seeking refuge. The kirin had allowed them to form a kingdom in exchange for human assistance against enemies of the kirin and with the understanding a kirin would co-rule with an heir they deemed worthy. 

But the potion made Kaname’s tongue clumsy and he turned around and around trying to figure out which kirin to address. “P-please, I’m v-very sorry. I don’t know what I’m to do.” 

At least he thought he said that. It might have come out garbled or become lost as the kirin were pawing the ground - the sound ever so much louder than Kaname expected. 

An elegant kirin, shimmering red coat and golden horn, trotted towards him. They placed their horn on his chest, directly above his heart and Kaname thought they could probably feel his heartbeats pounding wildly. The horn let out a shower of gold sparks and Kaname was quite paralyzed with dread and then everything went white and- 

The coldest night in Kaname’s memory was not long after his tenth birthday. Grandmother had taken offense to something he’d done. He never understood exactly what it was that particular night, but she decreed he stand outside in the cold. It was not the first time it had happened. Yet that night had felt colder and lonelier than any other that had preceded it. For the first time Kaname had thought he might finally perish in the snow. His fingers and toes turned white then started to go blue. It didn’t occur to him to go back inside because that had never worked before. 

My fingers and toes will fall off, he thought numbly. They will fall off and my heart will go quiet and then it shall be like going to sleep. Kaname hoped at least it would be like falling asleep. He rather feared the demon in him might wake up and fight it. If only he hadn’t had the demon in him then he would have been inside with the family like a normal child, like his younger brother. 

He didn’t see the horses until the riders had come right up to the little gate. Perhaps he had heard them, but there was no point in paying any mind. None of the neighbors had ever done anything before when they’d seen him outside doing penance. But these were not neighbors, they were soldiers. Before he could say a word one of them cursed and dismounted quickly, coming right to him. 

The house was not as small as their neighbors’, but Kaname did not think the it or the barn could accommodate so many soldiers and was about to say so when the soldier took off their cloak and wrapped it around him. “Queen Mother of the West, preserve us, what are you doing out here, dear child?” 

Grandmother would be angry. Kaname choked on fear even as the fur-lined cloak began to warm him. He would cry, but Mother and Grandmother couldn’t abide crying. Also he could be none too certain the tears wouldn’t freeze on his cheeks. “B-bad,” was all he could manage. “I was bad.”

The lady soldier didn’t like that answer, for her face tightened. And yet she did a curious thing, she picked him up in her arms so he was still bundled in the cloak but not longer standing in the snow. The other soldiers tethered their horses to the gate post and came over to Kaname and the lady soldier. She must have been their leader for they stood in respectful silence awaiting her orders. 

“As you can see the situation has changed,” she said tersely. “We enter with weapons drawn.”

And so they did. The door was not bolted so the soldiers had nothing to impede their progress. The maid shrieked in fright and the soldiers followed her to the main room where the family was. How queer it was to burst in on everyone, thought Kaname detachedly. Father’s face went linen-white. Grandmother was stone still. Only Mother and Suguru seemed surprised. 

“What business do you have here?” Father spoke at last. He did not seem to notice Kaname at all. “I was pardoned by the Queen years ago. If you are looking for lodgings we have none large enough for your company. The main hall in the village serves the imperial army for urgent quartering.” 

“Former Lord Takasato, I am General Risai of Her Royal Majesty’s Army,” the lady soldier said while she brought Kaname over to the hearth. She laid him gently on some floor cushions before turning to back to Father. “Her Majesty has sent summons to all her royal kin to gather so that she may choose a new heir to send to the Forest.” 

“Summons?” Mother asked. “Are we to go to the capital?” 

“I was stripped of my rank over a decade ago,” Father said slowly. “Am I to understand it’s been reinstated?” 

“Before I answer your question, sir, my troop and I have a very urgent question of our own. Who is this child?” Oddly enough General Risai unsheathed her sword though Kaname couldn’t imagine why. 

“My eldest,” said Father. “He was in a fit of temper all evening. I leave the discipline of the children to my mother and to my wife.” 

“Little Grandmother,” the general was using the traditional term of respect, but she didn’t sound very respectful which Kaname knew would make Grandmother more angry. “Little Grandmother, why was this child outside barefoot in the snow?” 

“He’s an evil thing,” Grandmother said calmly, always calmly in front of strangers. “A demon is in him. The only way to quiet it again is through discipline.” 

“Sir Takasato,” General Risai turned her attention back to Father, still never putting away her blade. “I. Am. Confused.” 

“I do not understand your confusion, General,” answered Father. “Mother explained it to you.” 

“I am confused,” the general repeated. “Is he a demon or is he your son?” 

“The demon is within my son. His mother has often remarked he did not look as babies look since the day he was born.” For some reason Father’s face had started to go shiny with sweat. 

“Sir Takasato, the law states that all cases of demonic possession or potential changelings must be brought to a temple as soon as suspected,” another soldier stated stonily. Kaname thought he might be the second-in-command as the general did not rebuke him. “And the temple for this region has not reported any possessions for at least two decades.” 

“Hence my confusion,” explained General Risai. “Is he a demon or is he your son, sir? I will not ask again.” 

“You may take him yourselves to the temple if you like,” Father waved a hand at the general as though she were a dog he were shooing away. “If we are going to the capital we’ll not be wanting him along if he’s possessed.” 

General Risai frowned and came back over to Kaname. She knelt beside him and asked, “Are you warmer now, child?” 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

“Is this first time they have sent you outside like that?” 

“No, ma’am.” He did not like to say it because she only frowned more and he had a feeling his family did not want him to say it. But it was true. 

“General, on what charges are we bringing in the former lord?” the second-in-command spoke up. 

“Charges?” Mother gasped. “I thought you said he was being summoned to become a royal heir.” 

“Her Majesty, in her infinite goodness and kindness, could not have known that one of her kin would be a criminal, madam,” General Risai replied. “Sir Takasato is either guilty of not properly reporting a demonic possession.” 

“A very heavy fine and possibly the loss of a hand,” the second-in-command grinned. “It depends on the magistrate.”

“Or Sir Taksato is guilty of bringing harm to one of the royal kin.” 

“A capital crime,” the second-in-command said very cheerfully. 

“He is my son! We may do as we like in our own house,” Father half-shouted. “It’s not a capital offense if the harm is within the royal family.” 

Father was panicking. Kaname had never seen him so upset. He didn’t understand why he was upset. Kaname had the demon in him, the temple would prove that and he would only pay a fine. Though really Father shouldn’t have to pay a fine since it was not his fault Kaname had the demon in him. 

“You were stripped of your rank as you said yourself,” General Risai continued. “However, that did not extend to your children. Your lawful heirs still belong to the pool of candidates for successor. Which makes you a commoner who has harmed a member of Her Majesty’s family.”

“P-please don’t be angry with Father,” Kaname clutched at the general’s arm, hoping she wouldn’t be mad at him. “He can’t help if I’m possessed. D-don’t hurt him, please, General!” 

“Dear child, what is your name?” General Risai softened her tone. 

“Kaname, Madame General.” 

“Lord Kaname, we shall take you to the temple. But I have seen demonic possession many times and I doubt very much you have a demon. If the temple priestesses say you have no demons, then I would very much like to take you to the capital. Her Majesty wants to meet her cousins to see who will be queen or king after her.”

“No, you mustn’t,” Kaname shook his head. “If there’s no demon that means I’m very very bad and I couldn’t be king if I’m that bad.” 

The second-in-command punched a hole through the pretty decorative screen next to Father.

“Keep it together, Lieutenant Gouran,” General Risai snapped before going gentle once more. “Lord Kaname, I know we are strangers to each other. But your gentle heart and loyalty show that you are not bad. It grieves me that those around you caused you to think you were. Even if you were not named an heir I believe the Queen would want you to stay with her instead of those who mistreated you. No one will make you stand in the cold and you may eat as much as you like. Her Majesty is very kind and it would please her very much to see her cousin happy.” 

Kaname wondered if the general had mind-reading magic, for he did not tell her that they didn’t always give him meals lest it give the demon more energy. 

It wouldn’t be nice to be a burden on the Queen, Kaname chewed his chapped lower lip. But no one loved him here. They might like him better if the demon was gone, but he couldn’t be sure. “I’ll go to the capital if the priestesses get rid of the demon. But please don’t hurt my family. They didn’t mean to be bad.” 

“In our haste to secure the welfare of Her Majesty’s cousin, it seems Sir Takasato, his wife, mother, and youngest son disappeared,” Lieutenant Gouran said suddenly. “They must have bolted in the middle of the night to escape the consequences of their actions.” 

“Is this how you treat us?” Grandmother broke her silence. “You tell us to run in the night like fugitives while you take that thing to court?” 

“It is only by the grace of Lord Kaname that you may keep your pathetic lives,” the Lieutenant snarled. 

“Please, let’s leave,” the tears finally welled up in Kaname’s eyes and made burning tracks down his cheeks. “No one needs to be hurt or angry. I’m sorry to cause all of this.” 

“You are not to blame for any of this,” General Risai put away her weapon. “You are a child and no child, possessed or not, is to blame for what adults do. Now let us fetch your traveling clothes and shoes so we may ride to the temple.” 

Kaname blinked his eyes and found himself back in the Forest of the Kirin. The memory had been so vivid he had entirely forgotten the present. The red kirin stepped back to circle around him a few times before rejoining her place in the herd. Had the kirin been able to see his memories? What would they think of him if they had? 

Worryingly more than one kirin started to come his way. Kirin with milky coats, golden coats, with eyes the color of gemstones. They reminded him of Youran, but they were not her. They nudged his sides and back, Kaname was puzzled as to what they wanted him to do. More sparks appeared and this time they settled on his skin until he was nearly covered in the magic. There was the sensation of falling, the kind one gets just before they drop into a deep sleep, and- 

Rather than being submerged in a single memory Kaname saw a host of them dance around the corners of his mind. The overall effect could only be likened to entering a room where all the art was on the screens and one had to walk around slowly to make sense of them, but one could never see all the pictures at once. Perhaps kirin could make sense of it even if he could not. 

Youran was there in his memory, quietly joking with the Queen when it was only the three of them in her chambers. Great Aunt, the Queen, had a sly sense of humor that always surprised Kaname because she was so dignified. How it could be barely a year since their loss and feel as though it were both decades ago and only yesterday?

General Risai and Lieutenant Gouran were also present albeit older and more scarred than when he first met them. The last thing they said to him was that they were looking forward to attending his coronation. A mix of courtiers and distant cousins hovered at the fringes, Kaname tried very hard to love them all or at the very least find something to admire about them. It helped that the late Queen had many years to shape her court and while most of the court seemed to like Kaname he thought they would probably prefer someone else to be king. 

Lady Gyokuyo and the priestesses Youka and Teiei appeared on the screens of memory, how could they not? How they tended to him in the weeks after General Risai brought that fateful summons. No demon had been found within him, but the temple inhabitants doted on Kaname as if he were their own. They had told Risai in no uncertain terms that if the Queen found him wanting as an heir he would always have a home with them. 

And then there was Sanshi. A priestess, though not entirely human, who’d been given leave to become Kaname’s bodyguard and never wavered in her duties. She had some creature blood in her, demon or kirin or something else, but it was indelicate to speak of. 

There were other people and events in the gallery of his mind, but before Kaname could examine it all he jolted back to himself. 

Suddenly there was a scuffle in the herd. No longer were they ringed around Kaname in an orderly fashion. The kirin were in something of a commotion not unlike a Council meeting gone unruly. Though Kaname could not hear any voices they did whinny, snort, and huff in punctuation to what he assumed were telepathic conversations. The kirin formed groups and pairs and wandered over to one another before breaking away again. 

They are angry, he thought. They have realized our kingdom has sent yet another unfit heir and are quarreling over what to do. Never in history had there been eight unsuccessful candidates in a row. He choked down bile remembering how one of his rejected cousins described what kirin used to do to the exceptionally unworthy. 

“Drive their horns through the candidate’s heart,” cousin Rei shuddered through his own explanation. “They say it was to keep the kingdom from having too many malcontent royals around to start a civil war. Of course the treaty was amended so that they only drive out the candidate from the forest. They haven’t killed anyone in a century. I’m glad I was only the second to be thrown out. I’d worry that they’re starting to lose patience with our royal family.” 

Perhaps the horn wouldn’t hurt if they did it quickly. 

Then from out of the midst of kirin came the most striking one of all. Stately, was the word that came to mind. If the kirin had a king then this magnificent one could only be he. His coat was midnight black with a steel-blue mane and red eyes. Not the eyes of demons or monsters, no these were warm like carnelians in a crown. Kaname wondered why he hadn’t noticed him before for he was so large and regal how could he ever be overlooked?

Closer and closer the kingly one stepped and Kaname forgot how to breathe. 

Just as the black kirin was a mere horn’s length away a pale kirin whinnied and charged at the black kirin. They locked horns and gnashed their teeth. At least that’s as much as Kaname could stand to see as he cried out, “Please do not fight on account of me! Please stop! I accept it if you have judged me unsuitable, but you mustn’t fight each other!” 

The fog that had muddled his thoughts earlier had all but dissipated now. His mind never felt clearer when he realized acutely the black unicorn was bleeding from an ugly gash on his - it had to be a he of that Kaname felt certain - face. He rushed forward heedless of the danger and careless of etiquette to check the would. “I’m ever so sorry, lord kirin. Oh, this ritual-! I haven’t any robes to make you a bandage.”

Had it been his horse Kaname would have kissed his muzzle without a second thought, but a kirin was a noble personage so Kaname limited himself to stroking the black kirin’s forehead. “And I’m sorry for you too,” Kaname told the pale kirin, who was uninjured from what he could see. “It’s unpleasant to fight with your kin. I can only imagine you were doing what you believed to be correct.” 

The black kirin sniffed and Kaname turned his attention back to the wound. Usually the mere sight of blood turned Kaname’s stomach, upon a few notable occasions he had even fainted after visiting wounded soldiers. Now Kaname felt his heart clench and wished for Risai’s little kit with the needles and bandages so he could put this to rights. “It doesn’t look too deep, but I know it must hurt. You’re so strong you can probably endure it better than anyone, yet it grieves me that you are in pain. Oh, lord kirin what can I do for you?” 

More snuffling and stamping from the other kirin. Kaname was resigned to the fact that they were likely displeased with him. He couldn’t recall any instance in the history books where the herd fought during the ritual. On the other hand there were few firsthand reports with any kind of clarity or detail. Even Great Aunt Kouko had said the entire ordeal was as a dream one fights to remember upon waking. 

The black kirin’s horn shimmered the color of moonlight and began lighting up slowly until it was the brightest thing in the clearing. All the other kirins’ horns began to glow though none of them came close to the black kirin’s incandescence. Kaname could now see that there were not dozens of kirin in the herd, but indeed several hundred. There were more than just the clearing could hold, they were in forest as well. It was dizzying to contemplate that the whole of their race might be present and not just their nobles or elders. 

Something happened. The ringing of a crystal bell, a sudden perfumed breeze, the taste of summer fruit, a cacophony of sensations swept over Kaname and his knees buckled. Only his untowardly tight grip on the black kirin’s mane kept him upright. When Kaname opened his eyes the other kirin had vanished. He was alone with the black kirin. 

“Oh, you’ve been healed! Thank goodness!” Kaname traced where the gash had been with his fingers until he remembered his manners. “I do apologize. I shouldn’t have touched you so. Or held your mane without permission.” 

Then it occurred to Kaname: the rite was over. He had been chosen. Chosen by this king amongst kirin. 

According to tradition the heir apparent would leave the forest with their new companion. Fortunately for Kaname the black kirin seemed to know the way. He nudged the king-to-be onto a mossy path and walked by his side. Once more Kaname struggled for the right words. Before he had no doubt he would be rejected as the true heir and thus had thought up all his apologies and farewells to the court - not that he had to leave the court, all seven of the other candidates were still there - and had planned to return to Lady Gyokuro’s temple to train as a priest. Yet now he would be king. 

“M-my name is Kaname,” he told the kirin. “But you probably know that already if you could see those memories. I’m v-very honored you chose me.” 

Honored in a way that left knots in his stomach, but no matter. To be king probably meant having a great many more knots in your stomach very often. 

“What am I to call you, lord kirin? Great Aunt’s kirin adviser was called ‘Youran’ though I confess I do not know if that was her real name. Do you know Youran? She was very kind to me. I miss her as much as I miss Great Aunt Kouko. I hope she is happy to be back with the herd.” In his chattering Kaname accidentally had started stroking the black kirin’s mane as they walked along. 

_Gyousou._ The name came in a flash. Kaname could even see the characters it was composed of in his mind’s eye. It suited him.

“Lord Gyousou,” Kaname pulled his hand away, but Gyousou shifted so that Kaname’s hand would be on his mane again. Of all the strange things to have transpired that night that was the strangest. It would not do to offend his new co-ruler and Kaname could not deny the action comforted him so he continued. “Lord Gyousou, I apologize in advance. I do not think I will be a great king. That is not to say I will not try, I will do my best, but I do know my faults. I’m too soft-hearted and I have no mind for art of war. Still I am very grateful to you on behalf of my countrymen. Everyone was worried that the search for a new heir would lead to more unrest in the kingdom.” 

_There is no need to worry, little king,_ Gyousou told him. _I shall always be at your side._

Having someone talk inside one’s head was startling. Kaname could swear he heard a voice and yet he would be hard-pressed to describe it. “All the other kirin seemed very good, but I’m glad you’re the one coming with me. I admire your strength. It sounds strange to say it, but it is the kind of strength that makes other people stronger for knowing it and not weaker. Does that make sense?”

_I’m touched by your regard. Gyousou seemed pleased. Which in turn pleased Kaname._

The dense cluster of trees thinned around them until they were nearly out of the forest and the first rays of dawn bathed the landscape in gold. 

“Oh! We are so close to the capital we can see it from here and yet I rode two days to reach the forest for the rite. I suppose it’s kirin magic, isn’t it?” 

_Both forest magic and kirin magic,_ agreed Gyousou. There might have been a kind of chuckle then. _It wouldn’t do to overly fatigue the new ruler._

Kaname realized that the magic that healed Gyousou’s gash must have affected him as well. There were no scratches or cuts on his legs even though he had felt them earlier in the evening. And he wasn’t a bit drowsy or sore despite the previous long ride and wandering in the forest all night. “Thank you and your kin for healing me. I didn’t notice before and now I feel so silly.” 

Now Gyousou snorted in a way that Kaname knew was his manner of laughing. _No thanks are required, little king. You must be well for the procession. Besides it grieved me to see in you in any kind of discomfort. Much as you felt about myself._

Kaname’s hand in his mane tightened then. He did not think Gyousou would care for him or not so quickly. Naturally, Great Aunt Kouko and Youran adored each other and had from first sight, but Kaname could never presume such a thing with his kirin companion. 

Then again he never presumed he would truly be chosen and make the literal procession to the throne. 

“Perhaps we should just go in the north gate as it’s not much used,” Kaname suggested. “And I don’t think I should ride you, it seems so disrespectful. And-oh!” 

Kaname stopped in his tracks because once they left the forest entirely there was no turning back. “Are you quite sure about me, Lord Gyousou? You may still change your mind. I do not know how much of my heart you could see with the memory magic. You were very brave to fight off your pale brother, but if your herd or you have any doubts about me then I implore you not to let me take the throne. It’s better for me to become a priest than to disgrace Great Aunt Kouko and Youran’s final wishes.”

_Asen was fighting me for the right to be your adviser,_ Gyousou replied. _Others would have stepped forward to challenge after I subdued him had you not plead for peace._

That could not be correct for Kaname was not one that people, or kirin, fought for his favor. Yet Kaname could not find it in himself to doubt Gyousou’s judgment. “You mean others wanted to rule with me as well?”

_Many and more,_ Gyousou nuzzled Kaname’s shoulder. _Youran was right when she told us the Queen’s final candidate was like no other. Which to answer your question, little king, means that I am more than merely ‘quite sure.’_

Kaname had no words for the emotion that was making his chest tighten so he hid his face in Gyousou’s mane. Everything was much too much. He was dizzier now than when he had first drunk the potion. 

_You may mount whenever you are ready to ride,_ Gyousou informed him.

“Is it not disrespectful? You are a person, not a beast of burden,” Kaname frowned. 

_Do you respect me?_ A tinge of bemusement.

“Yes, of course. I esteem you greatly.”

_Then there is no disrespect in the act._

Reasoning that if he mounted here in private and got used to the ride then Kaname though he would be less likely to fall off in front of all and sundry during the official bit of the procession. So up he swung his leg until he was seated on the kirin. Riding bareback had never been something Kaname had done with any kind of regularity. General Risai in her infinite wisdom made him learn should there be occasions when a saddle might be absent, but his tutors insisted he master riding with the formal saddles (and formal robes) that were required for parading. There were no robes upon him now, nor cloak nor anything else to lend him modesty. Everyone would see his spindly self and finally grasp that their new king was weak of both body and spirit.

_Why are you trembling, little king? What ails you?_ Gyousou inquired.

Kaname choked back a dry sob, “It’s embarrassing. I know that it’s foolish to a kirin, but I look ridiculous and I can’t bear that everyone will see me without a stitch on. They’ll know that I’m just an upjumped royal cousin who’s as homely as he is empty-headed and I don’t even have enough hair to cover me like all others did and I’m not allowed a cloak and-” 

_Dismount, sire._ No hint of rebuke lay in the tone, but merely the command had Kaname shaking all over.

Gyousou did not turn back into the forest as Kaname presumed. Rather his horn glowed white-hot as it had earlier and there came a flash of light. In the black kirin’s place was a man. Well, not a man. A man-shaped version of the kirin for the strongest of them could take human form. Youran had almost always been in human form at court and it hadn’t occurred to Kaname how or when Gyousou’s human form would appear. Deep bronzed skin and silvery hair in lieu of the midnight coat and steel mane, but the eyes were the same deep red. 

“Let us sit and talk,” Gyousou smiled. It was the first time Kaname had seen him smile, could see him smile, and hear his voice that Kaname nearly forgot his own troubles for half a heartbeat. 

Whether it was foreknowledge or instinct Kaname could not say, but Gyousou led him to a little dale of flowers and a bubbling spring. “Splash some water on your face,” advised Gyousou. “It will help with the shaking. Then we shall drink.” 

The water was the coolest and clearest Kaname had ever experienced. So restorative was it that he haltingly asked if it was magical. 

“No, simply the bounty of your kingdom,” his companion explained. “I am heartened by its effects on you. Now while we rest tell me your worries so that I may put them to bed.” 

“As you are a kirin I know it’s different for you,” Kaname sighed. “But nudity is a very odd things for humans. It’s very humiliating to be naked amongst strangers and stared at. Especially when one is homely.” 

“Who told you that you are homely?” Gyousou began picking the dale flowers. 

“My mirror of course,” said Kaname. And the senior Takasatos. 

“I disagree with your mirror,” Gyousou declared solemnly. “You are exquisitely formed.” 

A violent blush stained Kaname’s face and neck, the heat hectic and bothersome. To be told such a thing! “No! You are the one who is as art! You are handsome and chiseled and look more like a king than any king that’s ever lived. Even naked as you are no one could ever find you ridiculous.” 

“Thank you,” chuckled Gyousou. “That is more praise than I deserve from a king.” 

“I am only a king because you chose me,” Kaname protested. 

“I am fortunate that you were born a royal and chosen as a candidate by her late Majesty.” Gyousou came close enough stroke Kaname’s cheek languidly before returning to the flowers. “Let me assure you that you are not homely or ridiculous looking. And even if you were, what is the matter? Monarchs are chosen by the kirin for their strength of character not their looks. Your subjects only wish for a king or queen that will protect them and love them.”

“Yes, that is true,” said Kaname nodding. “I wouldn’t mind being so homely if I did not have to ride through the town bare. I am much afraid they will laugh at me or hate me. All the other kings and queens rode bare too, but they had their hair to cover them. The royals never have their hair cut from birth. But my family raised me as a commoner so my hair was short until I lived with Great Aunt Kouko. It hasn’t had time to grow long enough to cover me.” 

“It covers your shoulders,” a quirked half-smile from Gyousou.

“It is not my shoulders I care about,” Kaname’s brow furrowed. “I had hoped against hope that they might make and exception and let me have a cloak for the procession.”

“They didn’t explain why did they?” Nearly all the flowers in the little dale had been plucked and Gyousou was weaving their little stems together. 

“I read all the poems and chronicles about past processions,” said Kaname.

“Your tutors were remiss, likely because they thought you knew already being a royal yourself,” Gyousou started. “The monarch being unclothed during the rite and procession is both symbolic and pragmatic. Symbolic in that the naked figure can hide nothing and thus is presented for the world to truly know them. Pragmatic in that clothing can be enchanted or conceal weapons. In the past some unscrupulous heirs attempted to use magic garments to confuse the kirin herd. Others brought weapons and bribes to coerce.” 

“Oh,” Kaname bit his lip. None of his tutors had mentioned that though he supposed it was probably buried in the footnotes of A History of Kings. “That is awful that they would do such things to your people. I am sorry.” 

“No apologies are necessary,” Gyousou smiled once more, as if all the world were to be found in Kaname. “The prohibition on clothing was extended to the procession so that the new monarch’s subjects would not be deceived either. A handful of prospective monarchs wore enchanted garments and jewelry so that they would be adored on sight which would make it harder for them to be removed from the throne later. It is also of paramount importance that the commoners see their ruler as vulnerable and human as they ascend the throne. Grandeur has its place to engender respect, but humility does as well.” 

When Gyousou laid it out like that Kaname could very much understand the tradition. He still couldn’t make himself be glad of it, but it was slightly less daunting to know the reasoning behind it. “Do you think they will laugh much?” 

“I think they are all very eager to see their new king,” said Gyousou. “They loved their queen and are hopeful her favorite heir will be as kind and wise as she. They will smile and laugh because their hopes are raised and their hearts merry.”

Once more Kaname felt a stab of gratitude that Gyousou was his co-ruler. No one else could have painted such a scene and give Kaname reason to believe it. The kirin’s convictions were absolute and his logic sound. “Thank you, Lord Gyousou. I believe I can bear it. After all you will be with me.” Kaname stood and turned to face the direction of the capital city. 

“May I be so bold as to bestow a gift upon you, little king?” Gyousou asked quietly. 

“Yes, of course,” Kaname said without thinking. 

The chain of flowers Gyousou had made was draped around his waist from behind. “Hold still a moment and I shall weave the ends so it encircles you.” 

“I thought I wasn’t allowed any clothes,” Kaname objected half-heartedly. 

“‘The first gift the new king may receive are flowers from his subjects,’” Gyousou quoted. “Flowers are not clothing.” 

Kaname flushed, “But you are not a subject! You are my co-ruler.” 

“In the laws of your people I am your subject though I am delighted that you feel otherwise,” Gyousou laughed low and husky. “Do you accept these humble offerings, Your Majesty?” 

A matching wreath of blossoms was tenderly placed upon Kaname’s head. Kaname doubted that the actual coronation would be half so earth-shattering. He could scarcely draw breath for happiness. “You are too good to me, Lord Gyousou.” 

“May it always be so,” Gyousou kissed the back of his hand with such natural gallantry it put practiced court manners to shame. “I can think of no other worthy of such goodness.”

It occurred to Kaname that he should have felt sillier clad in flowers and treated like he was being wooed, but he did not. Somehow Gyousou’s gesture soothed his nerves more than any potion or mantra. When he mounted Gyousou once more, in kirin form naturally, Kaname found he no longer dreaded their parade. 

“How surprised everyone will be to see you, Lord Gyousou,” Kaname chirped with renewed vigor. “I do not think we’ve had a black kirin beside a ruler in centuries. So many of your brethren are ivory or golden or red of coat.” 

Gyousou did not verbally respond, but he huffed in a way that suggested laughter. 

“Do you think you will be in your kirin form or human form most of the time? Youran was almost always in her human form, but you should do as you prefer. I would not want someone to tell me what shape to take,” continued Kaname. Some fuzzy bumblebees buzzed curiously around his crown and one tickled his ear. 

_Whatever serves us best,_ replied Gyousou after a short silence. _There are advantages and drawbacks to both forms._

“Indeed, well you should do as you wish and I will never censure you,” Kaname averred. It boggled the mind that he would ever disapprove of his companion’s choice in form. “I cannot wait for you to meet everyone at the palace. I think you would like General Risai and Lieutenant Gouran. And my cousins are very clever and interesting, but you met them in the forest I suppose when they went through the rite.” 

_Met is one word for it,_ another snort. _But it would be nice to know them in another context since they are not in line for the throne anymore._

“Before I met you I had wished that one of them had succeeded so I wouldn’t have to be king,” said Kaname. “And now I cannot imagine wishing things were different. I’m still nervous of course, but how can I regret meeting you?” 

Words didn’t come through the bond. Instead there was a rush of warmth and affection that washed over Kaname with a force that nearly had him lose his seat. Anything Kaname could say would only display a fraction of his reciprocated feelings. So he didn’t speak, he clung tighter to Gyousou and hoped his companion could feel his answer. 

The capital loomed ever closer. Today no one was in the fields as everyone in the region would be gathered within the city walls to great their new king. Which was extraordinarily optimistic to Kaname’s mind as the last seven candidates had not returned triumphant. He had not been living in the capital when the others had gone to the forest so he did not know if each time the citizens waited with baited breath or if they had ever lost faith. It always seemed tasteless to ask. 

At long last a gong sounded and then a wave of drumming, they’d been sighted by the sentries. Butterflies fluttered madly in Kaname’s stomach and he clutched Gyousou’s mane tighter in compensation. 

_The gates are opening, my liege,_ Gyousou said. _Worry not, I shall not let you fall._

The knowledge imprinted firmly on Kaname, naturally Gyousou would take care of him. All he needed to do was to breathe, and smile if he could manage the breathing all right. 

What was beyond the gates was shocking. People lined either side of the street, were in their doorways and waving through windows, clustered on balconies and terraces. Flowers and banners and fluttering buntings were the order of the day. Yet what Kaname couldn’t believe were their cheers. As Gyousou took his first solemn strides over the threshold the shouts and laughter started to crescendo. No one was jeering or mocking, joy rang out wherever he looked. Children tossed flowers at them and what Kaname could catch, laughing merrily at the children’s very serious attempts, he tucked in Gyousou’s mane until they were nearly matched in floral attire. 

“Doesn’t His Majesty look so fine? He’s even more handsome now than ever.” 

“Oh! A black kirin is a good omen! How blessed we all are! Naturally our Crown Prince would choose the best kirin for our kingdom.” 

“I shall remember this day until I die! To think I’d live to see the king riding his kirin!” 

Dozens, hundreds of such sentiments rang in Kaname’s ears as they made their way to the Palace. No one mentioned Kaname’s naked form - proof indeed they were accustomed to the tradition. Today while he was in this humble state there was no bowing or formal manners, those would be for the coronation. The informal revelry was a balm to his soul. 

_They like me so. I am glad even if I do not understand it,_ Kaname thought fervently. _With every beaming face he found his own smiles coming quicker and broader. Even if it is only for today I will treasure it always._

_Together we shall make every day of your reign as precious as a jade bead on a string so that you may look back upon your days as the treasure that grows the greater for sharing._

_Our reign,_ Kaname corrected his co-ruler. 

_Our reign, little king._

Eventually they came to the Imperial Palace and Kaname realized that after a year of grieving it had become home once more. Perhaps happy endings were for stories. Kaname found he preferred happy beginnings and and as much happy in the middle as possible. This was their shared felicity and it had only begun.


	2. Epilogue

There were traditionally three days of preparations from the time the kirin and heir arrived at the castle until the official coronation. To Kaname it felt like three very excruciating weeks. Gyousou was forbidden from taking on a human form during that time, which was again rooted in past heirs attempting to gain the throne unlawfully. Kaname did not dislike Gyousou’s kirin form, but it was just the tiniest bit alienating to know he could not hear the rumble of his voice or look to those arms for a moment of comfort in the interim. It was also an eternal struggle not to clutch at Gyousou’s mane when his anxiety churned a tempest in his stomach. 

Do not despair, little king, Gyousou nuzzled Kaname when he awoke on the day of the coronation. The pomp will soon be over and you will fall into the rhythm of your new life.

On the one hand the pomp was easy because everything was scripted so tightly that Kaname had little room to fail on his own merits. On the other hand it was completely horrid to be unable to go to his cousins for advice or simply be alone to get to know Gyousou. Despite being surrounded by servants, advisers, and courtiers every hour of the day and night he almost as lonely as when he was living in the Takasato household. 

The last morning passed in an unhappy blur. Kaname was scrubbed, brushed, tutted over, wrapped into smothering layers of the ceremonial robes and sashes that were topped off with a headdress so heavy Kaname could hardly move his neck and teetering platformed shoes that seemed designed to make the wearer topple over. Lucky Gyousou was bare, but that would only last until the completion of the official ceremony. After that he would be excused to take human form and don almost as many robes as Kaname wore for the evening feast. Kaname had not seen those robes but Shoukei informed him they were of exquisite charcoal grey and deepest garnet silks to do his coloring justice.

At midday the ceremony began. The anointed priests and priestesses read out the blessings and prayers, the master of ceremony directed in sonorous tones. One bright spot was that there was an advantage to Gyousou being in kirin form after all. In that form he was able to speak continuously to Kaname without anyone being the wiser. 

_Youran told us the proceedings were long, but I hardly thought they would be this long,_ Gyousou said mischievously. _How unfortunate you are not yet monarch otherwise you might have shortened the affair by royal decree._

For the first time in days Kaname felt his lips begin to twitch in mirth. _I suppose each monarch could do that, but then their successor will have gotten off lightly while they themselves had to suffer through it. That’s probably why traditions keep going._ Already Gyousou’s more sarcastic sense of humor was starting to rub off on Kaname. _But really I suppose after all those preparations everyone would feel cheated if it was too short._

More prayers were chanted, holy incense lighted, and bronze bells struck then Kaname was given a wreath of sacred flowers, osmanthus and orange blossoms and a half dozen more besides, to put about Gyousou’s neck and kneel before him. 

_I am sorry I did not weave you this one as you so kindly wove one for me before,_ Kaname told his partner silently. _I would’ve done it gladly if they had let me._

Gyousou touched his horn to each of Kaname’s shoulders as the tradition went, _You may weave another one at a later date if you like. I’d hardly object._

Fighting down a pleased laugh Kaname rather fancied the notion. Perhaps he’d ask the housekeeper to send up flowers tomorrow morning. There were sure to be some leftover from all the garlands and swags lining the palace halls. While he knelt the priest replaced his headdress with the official crown of state which was not nearly as beautiful in Kaname’s eyes as the golden ring Gyousou had made for him. But the crown of state was a covenant between Kaname and his people, multifaceted and heavy, while the flower crown was the bond between Kaname and Gyousou, fragile, private, and perfect. 

Kaname rose the twenty-seventh ruler of his dynasty to thunderous cheers and applause. More than he thought he deserved, but perhaps one day he would live up to his people’s expectations. He had Gyousou by his side which meant that day might come even sooner than expected. 

Eighty-eight dishes were presented in eight courses at the feast. Kaname could hardly recall the last time they had a feast that opulent, perhaps only the jubilee anniversary of Great Aunt’s reign came close. Gyousou was at his right, Shoukei at his left while Rei, Kantai, Rakushun, and more of his cousins were seated as close as could be. They were all merrier than Kaname thought they would be and Lieutenant Gouran would probably say they he shouldn’t take their words at face value. Still it seemed genuine enough when Rakushun congratulated him and promised to serve him in whatever capacity Kaname saw fit and Shoukei had whispered, “Better you than me, I’d have been an awful queen.” Kantai had also been the picture of relief and happiness when Kaname had returned to court with Gyousou in tow. 

It was well past the Hour of the Rat, the moon at its zenith, when the feasting ended. Kaname pitied the servants who would be up until dawn cleaning up after them. He would have to make sure they got some holiday off soon or at least holiday pay for their services these past few days. Rakushun and his steward could probably tell him how it was best to be done. Feeling rather like a wrung out dishcloth Kaname made it back to his chambers without tripping only because Gyousou was at his elbow steadying him. 

“Not much further,” Gyousou reassured him and before Kaname knew it he was in his bedroom with Gyousou helping him disrobe. 

“You shouldn’t have to,” Kaname yawned and made a half-hearted attempt to swat Gyousou’s hands away. “You’re not my servant. You’re my partner in all things.” 

“It is tradition for us to lay each other bare the first night,” Gyousou replied. “Though I will refrain from doing so if it discomforts you, my king. No one will be the wiser if the tradition goes unheeded.” 

Kaname’s head was spinning from too many swallows of plum wine, or was it apricot wine, or had it simply been fruity rice wine, because of course Gyousou’s ministrations were not discomforting. If anything they were the opposite, too comforting. He could revel in Gyousou’s hands on him forever. “Not discomfort,” he managed to get out and placed Gyousou’s hands on his outermost sash once more. 

Marvelously everything came off much faster than it had been put on. What had taken an hour to be dressed in took only a few minutes of patient work to be shed. Kaname was too clumsy-fingered from exhaustion and drink to reciprocate properly, but Gyousou hardly seemed to mind. 

“Sleep beside me tonight?” Kaname begged once their sleeping robes had been donned. “It’s so lonely to be the king, Lord Gyousou. I know it’s selfish to ask you this even for a single night, but-” 

“I would be honored, little king,” Gyousou said, warmth and tenderness writ all over his visage. 

Kaname slept better that night than he ever had before. If the gods were good he'd have many more nights and days with Gyousou at his side. The crown was lighter this way.

**Author's Note:**

> The inspiration behind Gyousou's kirin form can be found [here!](http://fionahsieh.tumblr.com/image/160360037794)
> 
> Title taken from a quote from Hamlet, "Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown."


End file.
